I read somewhere that a human would have to have a 120 feet wingspan to be able to fly, matched with about 50 kg of musculature to keep them flapping. And even if the human's wings could lift him/her, he/she couldnt maneuver because of the lack of a aerodynamic form. So I dont think a scientific solution is the way to go ^^
Half celestial wing span probs. Im in a flap
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Thresher
First Post
You might want to compare them to a flying mammal, a bat. They tend to have a wingspan of about 1-6, drawing on my vague knowldge of that stupid measurement system... for every 1ft of body length theres about 6ft of wingspan. A fruitbat that lives in Indonesia has a wingspan of 6ft across and some of the big buggers that fly over my house in spring and autumn get up to about 3ft across.
Figure your human sized half celestial would be anywhere between 5-7ft tall, so that would give a wingspan of anywhere between 30-40 or so feet across. Which I figure is about right.
As for humans not being able to fly, same goes for Mr Dragon, but its a fantasy world where people huck fireballs at each other and shrug off damage that would wreck a car, its not really the place to have a lot of physics.
Of course, you can fold wings. Probably at the first 'elbow' joint which is about 2/5th's of the way up on each wing and a smaller joint equal to a 'wrist' which is about 4/5th's of the way up near the tip of the skeletal structure. So why your celestial may not be the tallest of critters he/she is likely to have about their height again on top and quite a considerable upper bodystrength, not to mention that that mass of feathers is probably quite bulky.
Oh, as a half-celestial you cant hover, you havent the manuverability class to do so (Fly- Good: Not sure if it lets you hover), a Monster feats to improve your airbourne manueverability by 1 scale up should let you be able to hover.
Anyway, enough musings on celestials before I go to bed.
Wonder if they lay eggs like a monotreme mammal?
Figure your human sized half celestial would be anywhere between 5-7ft tall, so that would give a wingspan of anywhere between 30-40 or so feet across. Which I figure is about right.
As for humans not being able to fly, same goes for Mr Dragon, but its a fantasy world where people huck fireballs at each other and shrug off damage that would wreck a car, its not really the place to have a lot of physics.
Of course, you can fold wings. Probably at the first 'elbow' joint which is about 2/5th's of the way up on each wing and a smaller joint equal to a 'wrist' which is about 4/5th's of the way up near the tip of the skeletal structure. So why your celestial may not be the tallest of critters he/she is likely to have about their height again on top and quite a considerable upper bodystrength, not to mention that that mass of feathers is probably quite bulky.
Oh, as a half-celestial you cant hover, you havent the manuverability class to do so (Fly- Good: Not sure if it lets you hover), a Monster feats to improve your airbourne manueverability by 1 scale up should let you be able to hover.
Anyway, enough musings on celestials before I go to bed.
Wonder if they lay eggs like a monotreme mammal?
Last edited:
Halivar
First Post
Actually, good flying does let you hover.
Check out Table 3-11 on page 69 of the DMG:
Good Maneuverability (Beholder... or... Half-Celestial)
Minimum forward speed: None
Hover: Yes
Fly Backward: Yes
Reverse: -5 ft.
Turn: 90 degrees/5 ft.
Turn in place: +90 degrees/-5 ft.
Maximum Turn: Any
Up Angle: Any
Up Speed: Half
Down Angle: Any
Down Speed: Double
Between Down and Up: 0 ft.
As you can see, half-celestials and characters with Wings of Flying can fly just as good as any dragon can.
The "Hover" feat is for average or poorer flying creatures who cannot hover naturally (as specified in the feat itself).
According to the official rules, of course. YDMIMV
Check out Table 3-11 on page 69 of the DMG:
Good Maneuverability (Beholder... or... Half-Celestial)
Minimum forward speed: None
Hover: Yes
Fly Backward: Yes
Reverse: -5 ft.
Turn: 90 degrees/5 ft.
Turn in place: +90 degrees/-5 ft.
Maximum Turn: Any
Up Angle: Any
Up Speed: Half
Down Angle: Any
Down Speed: Double
Between Down and Up: 0 ft.
As you can see, half-celestials and characters with Wings of Flying can fly just as good as any dragon can.
The "Hover" feat is for average or poorer flying creatures who cannot hover naturally (as specified in the feat itself).
According to the official rules, of course. YDMIMV
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Damon Griffin
First Post
How can that pegasus fly?
Flying human? Feh! Try explaining a flying horse that weighs at least five times what a human does.
In all my campaigns, I've taken the position that aerodynamically improbable creatures such as pegasi, winged elves and so forth were all equipped with a sort of psionic boost.
Basically, the "lift" the creature required was supplied by a subconsciously accessed part of the brain that partially negated gravity with respect to the creature. (This psychic antigrav has no other function, and is not something the creature is truly aware of, so such creatures are not considered psionic on the basis of this ability.)
The wings, therefore, were mostly needed for steering, and as such didn't require the huge surface area that would be needed if they were actually the method of keeping the creature airborne.
Flying human? Feh! Try explaining a flying horse that weighs at least five times what a human does.
In all my campaigns, I've taken the position that aerodynamically improbable creatures such as pegasi, winged elves and so forth were all equipped with a sort of psionic boost.
Basically, the "lift" the creature required was supplied by a subconsciously accessed part of the brain that partially negated gravity with respect to the creature. (This psychic antigrav has no other function, and is not something the creature is truly aware of, so such creatures are not considered psionic on the basis of this ability.)
The wings, therefore, were mostly needed for steering, and as such didn't require the huge surface area that would be needed if they were actually the method of keeping the creature airborne.
Ridley's Cohort
First Post
If we choose to be "realistic" huge creatures such as dragons will need 100+ feet to fly at all.
IMO, 10 feet is a fair requirement for a human sized creature with wings.
If you use a bigger requirement, lots of standard creatures (harpies, gargoyles, sphinxes, manticores, dragons) would NEVER be found in a dungeon.
IMO, 10 feet is a fair requirement for a human sized creature with wings.
If you use a bigger requirement, lots of standard creatures (harpies, gargoyles, sphinxes, manticores, dragons) would NEVER be found in a dungeon.
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